Month: August 2018

As you probably know, App Store reviews (and ratings) are critical for a “premium” game (one that doesn’t nag you about microtransactions), and even more so for an indie developer (without an ad budget). Many of you have written one, and we really thank you.

US App Store

One aspect of Apple’s App Store is that you can only see reviews from players who also use your country’s App Store. In other words, if you’re Australian, you can’t see what Canadians think. About 2/3 of our sales so far have been from the USA, and this may well be partly why (since Americans have plenty of reviews to check out, while Belgians or Danes have none).

So I thought it’d be useful to let people see reviews from other countries. Here is a selection of unedited reviews, with their country of origin.

A Fiery Return
Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind is an amazing game. As a successor to the 1999 release King of Dragon Pass, Six Ages brings back a similar, but refreshingly different art style to the classic mechanics long time fans love. Unlike its predecessor, Six Ages offers a more comprehensive and user friendly tutorial that makes the game much easier to get into, along with useful information that can be used throughout your games. I personally loved the music, art, and story the game offers, combined with the potential for more with the yet unreleased Lights Going Out and A World Reborn storylines. If you are a fan of King of Dragon Pass, or even games in the style of Banner Saga, I would highly recommend this purchase.USA

A great sequel
A ore than worthy successor to the classic King of Dragon Pass. A different and unusual mix of gameplay that isn’t like anything else.Australia

A reason to own an iOS device
It takes a lot to rouse me to write a game review. Six Ages is one of those games. It’s a strange mix of management/diplomatic strategy and rpg. It’s a very unique experience that is at its best on a touch screen. Few gamed arenquite so beautiful and compelling. It’s very much worth the purchase. In a word with fewer reasons to own an iOS thing, being currently the only way to play Six Ages is a reason. Hard to believe Apple haven’t featured this one yet.USA

A Spirited Successor!
“I was thrilled to hear there would be another entry into the world of Glorantha, and Six Ages certainly hits the mark set by KODP. I also enjoyed some of the new mechanics and lore that add some more fun and depth to the gameplay.

Some of the previous reviews critical of the difficulty and lack of baby stepping disappoint me. This game is designed very much with replay in mind. Make mistakes! Learn from them and do better next time! Part of what makes games like this much more fun than a plethora of other mindless apps I could name, is that your decisions have consequences! Often times there are no ‘right’ answers. – I love it!

Patiently anticipating more of the clan story to come in the form of DLC.”USA

A Superb Game…
Six Ages is a wonderful and worthy successor to A-Sharp’s much beloved King Of Dragon Pass. A truly beautiful, breathtaking, immersive journey into Greg Stafford’s world of Glorantha, the new setting and mythology broadens and deepens its already-rich and engaging lore. Whether you’re a long-time fan of Glorantha or new to the world, Six Ages will surprise and delight you. Ride like the wind!USA

Absolutely amazing!
This is the spiritual successor to the incredible game King of Dragon Pass. Everything about this game is top-notch quality. The world brought forth by this game has limitless possibilities – replayability of this game is through the roof. Highly recommended!USA

Amazing AND iPhone X ready
Did you like King of Dragon Pass? Then you will love this game. I write books for a living and I found this as engaging, or more so, than KoDP. Plus, it does the full screen iPhone X thing. Just get it, and thank me later.USA

Amazing and unique!
“There is literally nothing else like this (well apart from King of Dragon Pass, which it’s safe to say if you liked that, you’ll love this).

Really amazing game, I can’t think of another game like it (apart from the one above, but it’s the same designers). If you like strategy/management/choose your own adventure style games, this is a no brainier. IMMENSE replay value. I love it! Keep up the great work! 😀”UK

Amazing story driven experience
This game, and its predecessor KODP, is an amazing story driven experience that weaves all of your decisions together in unexpected ways. The has a lot of replayability as a result. You can feel the love and attention that the developers went to to bring a massive amount of text to life and to ensure that each scene complement each other. More than worth the cost of the game. Check out the reviews or let’s play and if you are remotely interested, try it. You won’t regret it.Ireland

An even better game than KoDP!
“For those that have played the cult 1999 game, King of Dragon Pass, Six Ages will feel like they’re coming home. The game system is almost the same, you still care for your clan by choosing advisors, making sure the people are content and fed, sacrificing to gods and raiding your neighbours. All of this is done with gorgeous visuals and sublime music.
Players of KoDP will feel relieved when they see the improvement made in all these years. The one that stuck to me were the consequences that my actions made on the clan — whether on the number of cattle or morale of the people — clearly spelled out as I was making them. That’s important feedback that made me feel I had a handle on things even when disaster struck.
If you liked KoDP get this game now! You won’t regret it! For those who don’t know anything about it: you’ll find rich narrative in a land far removed from ours where you’ll manage a small community trying to survive difficult times in an ever darkening world.
***** Five Stars Game from me.”France

An instant classic
Hi, I’m one of the lead developers of The Banner Saga. We were heavily inspired by KoDP, and I can safely say this is even better, bringing great quality of life improvements over its predecessor and improved combat while expanding on what made the original great. Everything about it is top notch and well worth your time and money. It is a minor miracle that this game even exists, buy it for crying out loud!USA

Best fantasy game ever!
Strategy, story telling, and fantasy that mixes bronze age mythologies into a fantastic game. If you loved King of Dragon Pass, you will love Six Ages, and if you have not played King of Dragon Pass, no need, Six Ages is a stand-alone prequal.USA

Deeper
“More of the same formula as king of dragon pass but more fully realised depth and variation. Battles in particular have much more variation and varied outcomes. Epic! Also great to explore unknown lore of Glorantha.

Edit: a few weeks in- the initial similarities to king of dragon pass give way to a realisation that this is their new masterpiece. Nuance and depth abound- every corner has been refined and the love in the design is deeply evident. Surprises around every corner and new large world changing events make it all feel dangerous and uncertain. Success feels as it does in real life- an exhilarating combination of high attention, skill and luck (although you feel as you learn that you can influence your own luck).”UK

Don’t hesitate! Just buy!
“To start off, I have been waiting for this game for a few years now! Having previously played KODP and hearing about I sequel I was exited! I have nothing but good things to say now that I have had it for some hours now.

If you’ve played KODP then this will feel like home with the advantage of now feeling like you have more control over your tribe and the decisions made. However, this also allows for more strategy and therefore more trial and error. I am very satisfied with this aspect. This means that every game can play out in different ways and you can have different approaches.

For those who are playing this as a separate game and have no KODP experience. This is an all around good strategy/management game. Lots of devastating events which makes for even sweeter victories. However, this game requires time and commitment to enjoy. You can sit down and expect a quick play through. The creators have clearly put a lot of TLC into making this and it requires the player to do the same to really enjoy!

I’m so glad that there developers who can commit to putting out such amazing material and I look foreward to the new content that will be released!”USA

Everything KoDP was and more!
“King of Dragon Pass was the best game ever released for iOS.

Emphasis on Was, now that SixAges is out; it’s everything KODP was – the charming artwork, the captivating mythic narrative, the humor, the sheer depth and size and complexity of the world and the gameplay….

But where KODP was obtuse and confusing, Six Ages welcomes the player in with clear tooltips and a helpful tutorial. The game *makes sense* right from turn one. An absolute triumph.”USA

Fantastic game
I had only recently discovered King of the Dragon Pass on PC, and I was so pleased to find the sequel in the App Store. One of the few games worth every penny it cost to buy. Great replay value. Highly recommended.United Arab Emirates

Get this, love it, then get KoDP
“So many good things. If you want something different, a story driven RPG, a civilization management game, a game that lets you write the history of a people… look here!

If you never played King of Dragon Pass (SA predecessor), you should, but there is no reason to play it before this game. In fact, you should probably play this game first. Six Ages is almost a KoDP trainer with regard to game concept and interface familiarity. And, in the history of the in-game chronology, SA comes before KoDP. SA is the easier game to learn, but every bit as engrossing, fun, and challenging as KoDP. Wonderful game. It works flawlessly on my year old iPhone and on my iPad 3.”USA

Great adventure/RPG/strategy/storytelling game
A worthy successor to legendary King of Dragon Pass. I really enjoyed guiding the destiny of my clan over generations through the mythical landscapes of the gods war.Finland

Great game
Fun to play, and with a genuinely affecting emergent narrative.USA

I’m hooked
I’m picky about games to invest in and took a chance on this one. I don’t think I ever wrote a review for a game but I had to say something for this one. The style of this game is very unique with this intriguing strategy concept. You nurture your clan like Civilization style play but are confronted with many “choose your path” scenarios that impact your growth. So many avenues to take to dictate your future. This is what makes this game strategic and compelling to challenge what you do. Give it a go!USA

Instantly hooked
“So much to do in this game. Make sure you have enough food, watch your neighbors for raids, while hoping you’re doing enough to please the gods and build your economy.
Tough choices make it feel like you’ve really got something to lose. I love playing this game and trying to finish it again and again in different ways.”USA

It’s like KODP but better. Great game!
I love the new artwork, and the added complexity to this game. KODP was great but it lacked depth to the mechanics. This game fixed that. The new combat system is more interactive and fun too! Love the parley system and how your allies can send you gifts even without asking for a favor. Amazing game.USA

One of the Best Strategy Games Ever?
“I discovered King of Dragon Pass a few years ago on a website called Rock Paper Shotgun. It listed it as one of the best 50 strategy games of all time. I tried it and I had to agree, despite that it was made in 90’s. I have to say, Six Ages is in my opinion a superior game overall. They reduced the tedious micromanagement of fields, herds and crops and instead introduced a nice venture system, some family politics within the clan and also different types of tribes. The game is superbly written and in my opinion more challenging than KoDP. If only for the art and effort of the small team who made this, this would still be well worth the 10$. It is doubly worth the price given that it’s a masterpiece.

(I admit that this game is not for everyoneone. To those who are unfamiliar with this type of games, it is more like an interactive book where your choices influence the narrative than a modern video game. I find that this stimulates imagination and adds an immersiveness that is really hard to find and few games can even come close to.)”Canada

Perfection
For those unfamiliar with King of Dragon Pass, Six Ages is the perfect amalgamation of a “choose your own adventure” story telling and resource management game. Don’t be put off by the price, it’s worth it. It’s also well adapted for mobile.USA

Příběhovka
Výborná příběhová rpg deskovo strategická hra.Czechia

Second and best of its kind
A major improvement on King of Dragon Pass, itself one of the most unique management simulations ever with multiple hearty dollops of interactive fiction. You are placed in charge of a clan of bronze age barbarians and tasked with ushering them through survival, to greatness. Brutally hard, but submerses you in the mindset of your clan. Unique and excellentUSA

Similar but more engaging.
I loved Kings of Dragon Pass, 24 hours in this seems more involved and immersive. If a game can be complicated stimulating and accessible then this is it. Rich levels of detail and replay-ability, with ‘one more click’ fighting with the instinct to research about the issue your dealing with, plan the tribal objectives and deal with the unexpected. This is interactive fiction at its best, where the more you let your imagination be stimulated, the more rewarding the experience is. Great job, great game!UK

Simply Amazing!
“I don’t even know where to start for my love of this game it’s just that good!
I guess I’ll start the art and music, the art for every scene is absolutely beautiful, I always look forward to new events to see what new stunning pieces of art I’ll see. The music also is just as amazing as the art, I personally absolutely love the battle music it makes me ready to face whatever threat dares strikes against my clan.

Next all I’ll talk about clan management. At first it’s pretty daunting with all the different tabs and numbers but thankfully the tutorial is very well made helping you understand the basics pretty quick. Something I really like about Six Ages over King of Dragonpass are ventures. Basically ventures give your clan something to do for the year like expanding crop fields, training your troops, having your crafters work on exotic materials. What I like about ventures it feels like I’m a bit more of a leader, I mean I know you control what shrines are built, when to explore, who to fight, and stuff like that. It’s just nice having another thing to think about.

What I also love about this game is how easy it is getting into the world and becoming immersed, the lore is so intriguing and the background on every race and culture makes me wish that as you learn more that new information is added to the lore tab. There’s quite a few races in the game like humans, elves who are actually plant people, dwarves who are made out stone, trolls who are boar people, spirits, and the gods. Humans so are really varied with many different cultures like the Riders (you), the Wheels culturally very similar to you but ride chariots and are very patriarchal, the Yeleni who are poor hunter-gatherers who worship a vulture god, Ergeshite who herd goats and worship two goat gods, and then finally the Ram people who worship a murderous thunder god and are the ones that destroyed your people’s empire.

There’s so much more to talk about but this review is already so long but the last thing I’ll say is if your a fan of strategy games or new takes on fantasy give this game a shot. You won’t regret it!”USA

Surpasses its predecessor in story, art, music and depth
Few games make you as invested in the story. The people of your clan feel real. Six Ages streamlines the gameplay of King of the Dragon Pass. I especially like all the extra tips that explain mistakes more thoroughly. The magnificient art and music immerses the player deeper into the world of Glorantha.Finland

This game was made with so much passion.
Completely lives up to King of Dragon Pass in every way and more. If you were ever into choose your own adventure games in your childhood, this game is a throwback to that mixed with the flair of epic fantasy storytelling. Seriously – the amount of writing put into this is about the same length as 4 Harry Potter books – and every single word is absolutely captivating. Well worth the price, well worth introducing it into your life.USA

Thoughtful, deep, very special game
I haven’t played a game that made me feel like this since I bought Civ 4 as a teenager. You control this clan and it honestly feels like you’re playing as the conscious of a circle of elders. You grow with these people. You make genuinely difficult decisions. And you strategize in a way that almost feels like learning a song on the piano as someone who’s not particularly good at piano. You have no idea what you’re doing at first but you settle into this groove and you eventually become successful in ways that you don’t even quite understand. You grow with the game. It’s brilliant. Play it. It’s worth it.USA

Ultimately worth the time investment
“My first instinct was to conclude the game was illogical whenever something I didn’t understand happened, but I’d always dig deeper and there was always a good reason for whatever had occurred. The game purposefully obfuscates information, you are a Bronze Age people after all, and I came to realize the game is ultimately the better for it.

With that said I’m just going to leave my review like this and close with a 5* rating and full recommendation to anyone with a bit of patience. The game accommodates players of all skill levels and though it may at times seem illogical, you can rest assured the team has put thought and effort into every aspect of the experience.

Loving Six Ages and can’t wait for the next entry in the series.”Canada

Unique and fun!
I was a big fan of King of Dragon Pass and love Six Ages so far! Excellent writing and emergent storytelling. If you’re like me and love history, strategy games, and good storytelling, check out this game!Canada

Unique Retro Fun
“An updated version of the unique gem that was King of Dragon Pass, it plays in a very similar way – wonderful stuff.

Both games bring me all the way back to the ZX81 and the first game I ever played called Warlord (which was essentially a seasonal, turn based decision maker of a much simpler, text based variety, as befitting 1982) – nostalgic to the max!
You guide your clan through trials and tribulations during seasonally divided years selecting clan leaders, managing farming, combat, building, trading and exploration. This plays out over years of turn based, choose your own adventure style, decision making, with the help of your clan circle advisors, as you navigate numerous stories and scenarios. Grow strong, keep your clan happy, learn lore, make friends and vanquish enemies.
The game creates a wonderful atmosphere akin to Norse and Greek mythology. Honouring your ancestors is vital while appeasing and drawing on the all powerful, warring gods and lesser magical spirits. The settings and stories are varied and entertaining, it’s very satisfying when things go well (a combination of your choice and associated weighted chance). The art work deserves a mention as it enhances the atmosphere no end (tap any image to see it in its full, unobscured glory).
If you’ve ever enjoyed mythology, you’re a turn based fan with an eye for fine detail and you like reading choose your own adventure stories then this is a gem of a game that will give you many hours of enjoyment.”UK

Wonderful Game!
“The game and setting are unbelievably unique. The game is more accessible than the amazing King of Dragon Pass, although that game revealed its victory conditions in a more satisfying way.

I can’t wait to try the other episodes as they are released. This game is well worth the money and delivers a AAA experience!”USA